Three new endemic species of the genus Roncus L. Koch (Neobisiidae,
Pseudoscorpiones) from eastern Serbia have been erected, described and fully
illustrated. Their main characters and important ...diagnostic features have
been analyzed and compared to those of their closest congeners from the area
studied.
Objective
The aim of this study was to translate the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Surgery Survey into the Serbian language to evaluate the test‐retest reliability and validity.
Study Design
The ...study included 49 consecutive patients between 12 and 18 years old with rhinologic symptoms. Patients were given a paper survey to complete along with a link to complete the online survey within the same day.
Setting
The study was conducted at the University Children's Hospital Clinic for Pulmonology and Allergology between January 2023 and March 2023.
Methods
Responses between the paper and online survey were compared and regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship. Internal reliability and test‐retest reliability were assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient. All data were collected and analyzed using SPSS 29.0.
Results
Pearson correlation coefficient between the paper and online survey was very high and statistically significant (r = 0.999; P < .001). Each item had a high correlation (0.993‐1.000), where the lowest correlation coefficient was obtained from question 2 (0.993). Average scores in each item differed slightly for only item 2 (mean difference = −0.041), but not to the level of statistical significance. Bland‐Altman plot indicated no proportional bias between the 2 versions. Linear regression analysis suggested a high level of agreement between the 2 versions (slope = 1.00, R2 = 0.999).
Conclusion
The survey is a useful questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life in patients with rhinologic symptoms. The high correlation between the paper and online survey shows the reliability of the questionnaire regardless of administration modality.
A new cave pseudoscorpion from Montenegro, Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius)
rhizon n. sp., is described. The newly erected taxon is endemic to the
Bukaricka Pecina Cave, Knezlaz, Montenegro. Its ...taxonomic relationship with
the phenetically close congeners, including comparative morphological traits,
is described.
Elemental concentrations in micro-PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) maps of elements in biological tissue slices have been determined using auxiliary information on the sample matrix composition ...from EBS (Elastic Backscattering Spectroscopy) and STIM (Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy). The thin sample approximation may be used for evaluating micro-PIXE data in cases, where X-ray absorption in the sample can be neglected and the mass of elements in a selected area can be estimated. The resulting sensitivity amounts to an impressive 10−12g of the selected elements. Two cases are presented as examples. In the first, we determined the total mass of gold nanoparticles internalized by human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC). In the second, an inventory of the mass of elements in the micro-particulate material adsorbed at the wall of the lorica of the microzooplankton species Tintinnopsis radix has been created.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) results in profound symptom burden and carries high mortality. Palliative care (PC) is dedicated to improving quality of life in patients with serious illness. Early ...PC provision improves rates of advance care planning and symptom management in patients with ILD.
What are the current perspectives on PC among ILD providers, and what are the barriers to PC in ILD specialty centers?
A 24-question electronic survey was disseminated to providers at the 68 Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Centers across the United States from October 2020 to December 2020.
The survey was completed by 128 participants representing all 68 Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Center Network sites. Most respondents were physicians. Most providers exhibit good knowledge of, feel comfortable assessing a patient’s readiness for, and agree with the need for PC for patients with ILD. Providers are most likely to refer to PC at objective disease and/or symptomatic progression rather than at initial diagnosis. In comparison with providers who report referring their patients to PC, providers who report rare referral are more likely to cite lack local PC availability (P < .01) and less likely to feel comfortable discussing prognosis/disease trajectory (P = .03) or feel it is important to address advance directives in ILD clinic (P = .02). There is a lack of standardized measures used to assess specific symptoms, overall symptom burden, or health-related quality of life across institutions. Discordance exists between self-reported and actual access to local inpatient and outpatient PC services.
Most ILD providers use PC and are comfortable discussing PC. Barriers to PC identified in this survey include the following: perceived lack of local access to PC, lack of systematic tools to assess symptom burden, lack of established optimal timing of PC referral, and unclear need for specialized PC delivery.
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Biotransformation of bis-bibenzyl perrottetin F (1), isolated from the liverwort Lunularia cruciata by Aspergillus niger, has been investigated. New metabolites (2-4) have been isolated using ...reversed phase semipreparative HPLC and their structures were established to be 8-hydroxyperrottetin F, C-7-C-8 cleaved product, and perrottetin F 6’-sulfate using 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR and UV spectroscopy. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of these compounds were also evaluated. Given the suggested cytotoxic properties of the parent compound, antiproliferative activity against healthy human lung fibroblasts (MRC5) and human lung carcinoma (A549) of three metabolites were evaluated revealing their lower cytotoxic properties in comparison to the starting compound - perrottetin F. The antimicrobial properties of these compounds were also evaluated, with the inhibitory activity against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and Staphylococcus aureus determined between 100 µM and 450 µM. The metabolites showed remarkable ability to inhibit synthesis of bacterial quorum-sensing signal molecules such as short chain acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). Therefore, biotransformation method represents fast and effective tool for obtaining new bioactive structures.
Cell proliferation includes a series of events that is tightly regulated by several checkpoints and layers of control mechanisms. Most studies have been performed on large cell populations, but ...detailed understanding of cell dynamics and heterogeneity requires single-cell analysis. Here, we used quantitative real-time PCR, profiling the expression of 93 genes in single-cells from three different cell lines. Individual unsynchronized cells from three different cell lines were collected in different cell cycle phases (G0/G1 - S - G2/M) with variable cell sizes. We found that the total transcript level per cell and the expression of most individual genes correlated with progression through the cell cycle, but not with cell size. By applying the random forests algorithm, a supervised machine learning approach, we show how a multi-gene signature that classifies individual cells into their correct cell cycle phase and cell size can be generated. To identify the most predictive genes we used a variable selection strategy. Detailed analysis of cell cycle predictive genes allowed us to define subpopulations with distinct gene expression profiles and to calculate a cell cycle index that illustrates the transition of cells between cell cycle phases. In conclusion, we provide useful experimental approaches and bioinformatics to identify informative and predictive genes at the single-cell level, which opens up new means to describe and understand cell proliferation and subpopulation dynamics.
When Croatia enters the European Union EU in the year 2013, Croatian agriculture will be faced with the new rules of the Common Agricultural Policy CAP for the period between 2014 and 2020, which aim ...to intensify environmental standards in agriculture. To determine how informed Croatian farmers are about the new environmental standards of the CAP, and how these environmental standards will affect their future work and business decisions, a survey was conducted on a sample of 112 Croatian farmers. The research results show that respondents believe that the adjustment of Croatian agriculture to the CAP will be demanding, as a consequence of a generally bad situation in the country, poor education of farmers and a large administrative burden imposed by the EU. Although the majority of the surveyed farmers intend to continue to engage in agriculture after accession to the EU, more than half of the respondents do not use measures which are mandatory as part of cross- compliance and which will be further extended as part of the greening measures in the following year. Therefore it is necessary to intensify farmers education and increase the use of set control measures at the national and local levels.The results are important for agricultural policy makers, as well as for numerous agencies and organizations responsible for informing farmers.
A single species of Roncus L. Koch, 1873, which was collected in the Baretina
Lokva on Mt. Orjen, Montenegro, is new to science (R. teutae n. sp.) and
described herein. Its diagnostic characters are ...illustrated and their
distribution is provided. The possible establishment of this species of
Roncus is presented briefly in view of the importance and analysis of its
diagnostic characters.
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